E-smart becomes Chip-to-Cloud

After over 10 years, e-Smart is changing its name to become the Chip-to-Cloud Security Forum (which will also replace the other conferences from the Smart Event). This looks like a welcome move from card-centered business to application-centered business, reflecting what is happening in the industry.

The technology is now ready, and it has not evolved greatly in the past few years. Java Card and GlobalPlatform are mature, widely deployed technologies; many companies are able to develop and deploy cards. Of course, there are a few technical challenges remaining, to keep engineers busy. One of the most challenging tasks is the establishment of trust between the various actors of the industry; today, formal security certification is at the heart of this, but something a bit more innovative will most likely be required here.

The new frontier for cards and secure elements are applications. This is much harder than implementing technology, and requires a lot of innovation. Will we be able to differentiate smart cards from tags? Will we find a room for card applications between basic SIM authentication and TEE applications? Will there at some point be a way to work on this? That’s the Chip-to-Cloud challenge, and I hope to get a few interesting answers next September.

The Call for Papers is out now, so go ahead, propose things. I am convinced that this conference will remain one of the places where academics, industrial R&D, and technical marketing people are able to meet and exchange. See you there!